Tammany Hall, decorated for a national convention in 1868.
In my last post, I lauded the simple humanity of Sen. John Courson reaching out, in an entirely personal way, to his Democratic friends as well as his Republican friends, and I associated it with the very UnParty (or maybe AllParty) makeup of his district.
I love this anecdote about a similar human touch in a hyperpartisan back in the days of Tammany Hall. It’s from a reminiscence by Elliot Rosenberg about his Uncle Lewis. The piece is headlined “When All Politics Was Personal,” and here’s my favorite part:
For much of that era, spanning Presidents Wilson through Eisenhower and Mayors John F. Hylan through Robert F. Wagner Jr. , Uncle Louis earned the title Banner Captain of the Democratic Party’s Banner District. That meant the party’s old Fourth Assembly District clubhouse swept more votes into the Democratic column than any other, and Uncle Louis wielded the best broom of all, 99% of votes cast, give or take a percentage point.
“The Republican captain in my precinct was a good friend. So I’d tell a few of my people to slip him their votes,” Uncle Louis said. “After all, the fellow was a family man. His wife and kids had to eat, too.”…
What this guy did — make sure everyone pulled the Democratic lever, regardless of the candidate — is anathema to me. And with those kinds of margins, it cost him nothing to throw his GOP friend a bone. And in saying he could do that, he was boasting of his own power. But still — in these days when Democratic operatives may have no Republican friends, and vice versa, it’s sort of hard to imagine the gesture.
“His wife and kids had to eat, too.” I love that.
Related Posts
No thread about today’s voting, or the associated shenanigans in Richland County?
Or about Lindsey Graham’s abortion bill? or the Richland 2 School Board member who threatened a football coach with death but is getting a free pass that no other employee would get?
http://www.thestate.com/2013/11/05/3079117/richland-2-school-board-member.html
one quibble Doug. A school board member isn’t an employee. They are an elected official.
True- but most everyone in the world would have to resign after threatening to kill an employee of the district in which you serve.
This lady apparently won’t have to do that at all- which is very hypocritical – and quite surprising.
” and quite surprising.”
Not if you’ve ever tried to run for school board in Richland 2 as I did in 2002. She was one of the candidates back then and has been on the board since 1990. I have a lot of stories (some firsthand, many secondhand) that unfortunately are not possible to share in a public forum.
Yes, indeed. A blog exit poll, perhaps. I’ll get it started…Moe 1, Steve 0.
Moe 2, Steve 0.
It’s a landslide!!!
Library 0, Taxpayers 1….